lighter
by LinaRiceball
Summary: another Rin haircut fic. I recently had my hair cut, and I guess that s what inspired this story. sorry about having technically two of the same story; I didn t really have much of a choice in the matter, as it probably isn t a good idea to have another account on this site. In any case, I do hope you enjoy this one as well. Rin/Hisao fluff


**A/N: Hello, all. As you may or may not know (depending on whether you read the description or not), I had recently gotten my hair cut, which inspired this story, paired with the thoughts I had of "Things You Can Do" as I sat in the chair to entertain my wandering mind.**

**I was there for a while.**

**So it gave me enough time to come up with this little idea born from what might be my prominent anxiety of haircuts, the fresh memories of the particular event in my head, my eternal love for Rin or something beyond this universe that maybe nobody will ever know. In any case, I hope you enjoy it. :)**

**-L.R.**

Today was the day.

After mindlessly watching Rin struggle with the red mop on her head, tossing it to and fro with gradually intensifying vigor, her hair more and more often making its way into her eyes and her violently trying to shake it away without any arms, it was finally decided that Rin needed a haircut.

Her hair was now at the point where it reached slightly below her shoulders, her bangs hanging just a little above her eyes, but long enough to obscure her vision slightly.

"… This is annoying," she said as she tried to shove the hair away from her face. I offered a hand and tucked some behind her ear.

"That`s what haircuts are for; to make it less annoying," I said helpfully.

"But that`s annoying too, isn`t it?" she asked, a genuine look of questioning on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Haircuts."

I wasn`t quite sure how to respond.

"How so?"

"You have to sit in a chair without moving as someone does stuff to your hair. And then you have to worry about how it`s going to look after. Isn`t that a bit of a pain?"

I was surprised to hear this. I didn`t expect Rin to be the kind of person who didn`t like getting her hair cut. Then again, it`s not exactly a particularly fun activity, but she actually sounded a bit scared. Was she afraid of haircuts?

"I guess that would be kind of annoying," I said, sort of getting a bit of a better understanding of how she felt, as I had also been through the experience of getting my hair cut at some point.

"But… I don`t think it`s something to be scared of," I said, hoping I was right about my hypothesis.

"…"

Rin said nothing, but the look in her eyes told me that she was dreading the events that were about to take place. I looked back at her and smiled, hoping I could be of some condolence.

"… I`ll be with you," I said, offering what I was hoping would be some comfort in all this.

She looked at me, her usual bored expression returning to her troubled face.

"I guess so," she said.

We walked the rest of the way to the salon in silence.

When we finally reached our destination, a nice lady behind a desk came up to us and asked if she could be of service. I explained our situation, after which she smiled sweetly and showed Rin to a chair. Before they left I gave her a pat on the shoulder, telling her that I`d be right across from her in the waiting room, which wasn`t too far. I pointed to a row of chairs near the entrance. She nodded wordlessly and followed the lady to the chair. I was a bit surprised that she didn`t react to her arm stumps, but then again this place wasn`t too far from Yamaku, so I guessed that she was used to seeing students with similar deformities coming in. I sat in a chair that was close to the big mirrors in front of the styling chairs and waited.

I watched as the lady showed Rin to a seat behind the sinks and washed her hair. Rin seemed pretty calm, or at least as calm as one could look a few feet away from me, so I didn`t worry too much. Her eyes were closed, which was a good sign, as far as I could tell.

The lady rinsed off her hair and wrapped it in a towel. She then proceeded to show her to another chair closer to me, where the towel was removed and placed somewhere nearby.

She asked Rin how she wanted her hair to be cut, which she responded with a simple "just shorter". The stylist looked a little confused, but she ended up agreeing and set to work, carefully combing her hair out to avoid pulling any snags.

When she got her scissors out, she asked again specifically how short she wanted it to be. It was almost painful to watch the confusion cycle rage on without anyone doing anything about it. I wished I could step in and help her get a better idea, having known what Rin`s hair looked like for over a month, but they eventually came to some sort of agreement, which concluded in "above the shoulders".

The stylist took some of Rin`s hair in her comb and used her fingers to level it out, starting to trim the ends of her hair. This continued for a while, so I decided it was safe to stop monitoring Rin and pull out a light novel I had on me, which it appeared that I was halfway through.

It was a bit of a bland story that I couldn`t really get into, so my mind slowly began to drift as my fingers mechanically turned through the pages. All I could hear was the rustling of paper and the soft sound of the scissors snipping away in the background, reverberating through the surprisingly quiet and empty room. It appeared that no one else was here. I suppose that made sense, though, seeing as how it was a Sunday.

I was almost in a daze when the sound of voices brought me back to reality. I soon realized that the snipping had stopped, and the stylist was now in front of Rin, combing out the rest of her hair.

"So, what about the bangs…?" I heard her ask. A very blunt-sounding "yes" was all that came out of Rin`s mouth.

"Um… so… how much are we talking about? Above the eyebrows, or…?"

Another monotone "yes", with just about as much eye contact. Or lack of it, at least.

By now it appeared that the stylist was showing a few signs of frustration, but it seemed that she had gotten used to Rin`s vague and generally confusing directions, so she simply nodded and began to trim her bangs.

I looked on for a while, noticing a slight change in Rin`s expression as her fringe was being trimmed. She winced slightly as the tiny hairs fell on her nose, tickling her face. She showed no signs of acting on this, however, so I just assumed that she was going to be fine.

From the corner of my eye I could see Rin trying to look at me without moving her head, straining her neck to get a better look at me. I looked up from my book and our gazes met. I gave her a small, reassuring smile, hoping it would calm her down a bit. She didn`t do or say anything, but she seemed satisfied, so I let a small wave of relief wash over me as I continued to mindlessly read the small black letters on the pages in front of me. The words meant nothing anymore.

A few minutes later the scissors stopped again. I looked up from my book once more, watching as the stylist left to get a hairdryer and plug it into the wall. As she searched for an outlet, Rin looked at me again, finally free to move her head around. I gave her another reassuring smile, glad that she seemed okay. I lifted a hand up and waved to her, and she nodded, signifying a wave back on my part.

The stylist then returned rather timely and adjusted the hairdryer in her hand. She told Rin that she was going to turn it on, and that it might be a bit loud. Rin nodded in response. Taking this as confirmation, she pressed the button on the side and began drying her hair. She asked if it was too hot, which she replied to with a very subtle shake of her head. She seemed to understand.

She grabbed a brush from the counter and sandwiched it between Rin`s hair and the hairdryer, making it a bit more effective. I looked on silently as her damp hair slowly became soft-looking and shiny. Rin remained quiet through the process.

With her hair finally dry, the stylist turned off the hairdryer and placed it back on the counter. She asked her once more how it looked, which was responded to with a nondescript "fine". She seemed OK with this, so she took it as a job well done and removed the cape from Rin`s neck, which was then hung up on a rack by the mirror. It was now my turn to step in and help with the rest. I got up from my seat and thanked the stylist, giving her a wad of money that was bunched up in my pocket. She gave me my change, thanked me as well, and bid us a good day.

Freed from the sweet-smelling salon, we went on our merry way, heading back to the school. It took a bit longer than I was hoping, but not quite as long as I was expecting. A warm breeze blew through the air and gently tousled Rin`s neatly trimmed hair. It smelled of expensive salon-brand shampoo and conditioner, with just a hint of canvas paint. It made me smile, for some reason.

Another gust of wind surged by, letting Rin`s hair blow wild and free in the afternoon light. She closed her eyes as it blew past her, caressing her cheeks and rustling the clothes on her body, her now windswept hair caught up in the summer breeze. I guess even when it`s been cropped back to a mere few inches and thoroughly brushed, Rin`s hair can never truly be tamed. Just like her creative spirit, I guess; wild and free. I guess that`s just how she is. Rin is her own person, going wherever the wind takes her. She isn`t really the kind of girl to follow rules by the letter and pay very close attention to her elders. She just does as she pleases, just like her uncontrollable hair.

I find myself smiling again as she lets the sensation take her, drifting off to someplace far from here.

Her eyes open suddenly after the wind disperses, looking at me with the same bored-looking expression she always has.

"… What is it?" she asks, noticing the silly grin on my face. I catch myself in the act shortly after and try to compose myself, slightly flustered.

"It`s nothing," I say, running a hand through my hair in a desperate attempt to cover up the smug look on my face.

"Okay," she said, paying no further heed to this topic.

I looked at her again, observing the slight changes in her expression, the tiny, fleeting emotions that showed through her every so often. She looks slightly… brighter than before. Like a weight has been lifted.

I decide to investigate.

"… How does it feel?" I ask, hoping she understands what I mean.

"…"

She waits a minute before responding.

"… Better. My head feels lighter," she says, looking down at her sandaled feet as they crush the tiny sakura petals scattered about on the concrete. This time, I don`t stop myself as I begin to smile again, putting a hand on Rin`s head.

"That`s a nice feeling, isn`t it?" I ask, further messing up her already messy hair by ruffling it casually.

"I suppose," she says, looking up into the sky. For a moment, I could`ve sworn that she was smiling as a cloud drifted by lazily in the warm afternoon sun.

"I think I`ll paint another picture when we get back," she said, looking back up at me.

"What of?" I ask curiously.

"… This feeling. "Light"," she said, looking back up into the sky. I looked up there, too, searching for the same feeling that she had right now. Maybe I`ll get my hair cut later, just to see. Even if it`s only a little, I`d like to know what Rin feels, just for a moment. Maybe I can understand the way she sees happiness.

I wonder if it`s the same way I see it, too.


End file.
